


Without You

by unreliable_trash



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Blind AU, Blind Character, Highschool AU, I REGRET NOTHING, M/M, Solangelo AU, guide dog for the blind
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-15 23:15:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28821336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unreliable_trash/pseuds/unreliable_trash
Summary: Solangelo AU - Nico and Will meet as kids when Will moves in down the street. When Nico finds out that he's starting to go blind, he goes to Will for support. However, a few years later, Nico gets sent to a school for the blind. Will Nico ever be reunited with his best friend, or will he go through life with only the memories of Will Solace?
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Jason Grace/Piper McLean, Nico di Angelo & Will Solace
Comments: 3
Kudos: 19





	1. Prologue - Where it All Began

Nico stood on the porch as he watched big moving trucks and cars unload in the driveway down the street from his. From what he and his 7 year old brain could tell, it was a couple with their son that was moving in. The son looked to be about his age, and he kept wanting to run over and introduce himself, but his sister, Bianca, held him back. She told him that he needed to let them move-in first, then he could go say hi. So he had agreed, but didn't follow her back inside, instead choosing to stay on the porch and watch them.

After about thirty minutes, Nico grew bored and finally went inside.

The next day, Nico awoke and looked out his window, where he was immediately reminded of the boy he saw the day before.

After changing into clothes, Nico raced down the stairs to where his parents were sitting with Bianca eating breakfast. "I'm gonna go see the new neighbors!" He announced before bounding out the front door.

His parents shared an amused look while Bianca looked fondly after her little brother.

Walking a couple driveways down, Nico saw the boy he noticed yesterday already out playing in his yard. By himself.

Walking up to him, Nico smiled, sticking out his hand. "Hi, I'm Nico. Nico Di Angelo. I saw you moved in yesterday."

The boy, looking up from what he was doing, smiled at him. Standing up, brushing the dirt off his pants, he took Nico's hand, shaking it. "I'm Will. Will Solace. And yeah, we just moved here. I'm 7 years old. How old are you?" He cocked his head to the side curiously. Nico took back his hand and stuffed it in his pocket. "I'm also 7. My sister's 10, but she doesn't play with me a lot. What about you? Will you play with me?" He asked.

The boy, Will, Nico would have to remember that, nodded. "Sure! Do you want to come in? I'm still unpacking most of my room, but I'm sure we could find something to do."

Nico considered that for a moment before shaking his head. "How about you come over to my house? I have some game consoles we can play." Will nodded. "Sure! Let me just go tell my parents first" Nico nodded and waited for Will to return.

\-----------------------------------

Nico was near tears when he and his family had returned home. He had been having trouble seeing as well lately, and he had just gotten home from his doctor's appointment. It was nothing good. He mumbled a small "I'm going to Will's," before heading out the door after dropping off his stuff.

Nico knocked on his friend's door and anxiously waited for it to open. When it finally opened, he looked up to see Mrs. Solace, who happily welcomed him inside. She offered him a cookie, but he shook his head in response. His friend's mother gave him a look before letting him know that Will was upstairs in his room. He nodded before heading up the stairs.

Not bothering to knock on the door, Nico burst into Will's room almost in tears by now. Will turned around from what he was doing, "Hey Nico, how are-" he stopped when he saw Nico. He got up from where he was sitting and went over to hug his friend.

At his friend's touch, Nico finally broke down and let a sob escape his throat as he buried his face in Will's shoulder, tears finally streaming down his face. Will held him as he cried, guiding him over to his bed so they could sit.

When Nico finally regained his composure, he sniffled and pulled away from his friend.

Will placed a hand on his friend's leg. "What happened, Nico?" He asked softly. "What happened at your appointment?"

Nico looked up into Will's eyes, unconsciously trying to memorize them. "It's not good, Will." He replied quietly, breaking the eye contact as he looked down at his lap. "I... They say I have something called Retinitis Pigmentosa. I'm going blind, Will..." He said, a soft sob coming out of his mouth as he spoke the words, making it seem all that much more real.

Looking back at his friend, he saw Will's eyes widen and his mouth form an "O" shape.

Nico looked over Will's face once more, trying to memorize not only his eyes, but the shape of them, how many freckles covered his face, the little dimples in the corners of his mouth, the way his bangs hung over his forehead, everything.

Will grabbed at his hand, bringing him back to reality. "No matter what happens, Nico, I'll be here. I'm not going to stop being your friend just because you're going blind. You're my best friend, Nico." Nico smiled softly at that. "You're my best friend too, Will."

\-----------------------------------

Nico had holed himself up in his room all day when his parents told him the news. He had yelled at them, but it wasn't them he was angry at. It was himself. It was his fault he was going blind, after all. It wasn't until the doorbell rang and his mother called up the stairs to tell him it was Will that he finally unlocked his door and peered down the steps to see Will at the bottom of them. Beckoning him up, he waited till his friend was in his room to shut the door again. Nico went over to his beside table and picked up his glasses, putting them on.

Will looked over his face before walking over to him, grabbing his hand. They were ten now, and Nico's vision had been deteriorating faster than expected. "What's wrong?" He asked softly. "Your eyes are all red and puffy." He observed.

Nico looked over at his friend guiltily.

"Will, I..."

He didn't know how to put it in to words. He wasn't even sure he had fully processed what he had been told that morning.

Will squeezed his hand, urging him to continue.

Nico squeezed back as he took a deep breath. "Will, you know-" he choked back a sob, "You know how I've been losing my vision, well..." He took another deep breath. "They're sending me to a school for the blind. To teach me to get used to my condition, slowly, as I continue losing what vision I have left. To teach me how to use the cane they gave me at my last appointment. They've even talked about getting me a service dog, but it depends how much more vision I lose. My depth perception is getting pretty bad, but they still want to wait it out." He managed to get out as tears pricked at his eyes, but he refused to let them fall, even in front of his best friend.

Will's eyes went wide. "Wha- What does that mean? Are you... Are you moving?" He asked quietly.

Nico nodded, his tears even more prominent. "Not out of the state, just... Far enough away that we can't stay here." He replied, his voice quiet.

"When are you leaving?" Will asked. "How much more time do I get with you?"

"Only a couple more weeks."

Tears pricked at Will's eyes, and instead of holding them back like Nico, he let them fall as he gathered his best friend into his arms, his tears soaking the other boy's shirt. Nico clutched at Will as tears of his own finally spilled over his cheeks.

A couple of weeks later, Nico was hugging Will for what he thought would be the last time, tears running down both the boys' cheeks once more.


	2. Chapter 1 - Reunited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico is finally put back in regular high school after attending a school for the blind for the past six years

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry in advance for my poor Italian. I used Google translate, so I'm gonna go ahead and blame that if what I have is incorrect. I'll have a list of what the words mean in English in the end notes

_6 years later_

Nico let out a loud huff as he made his way out of his younger sister's car with Mrs. O'Leary, his guide dog. " _Su_ ," he commanded her when he was out of the car, grabbing at her harness once she was out. " _Tacco_." When he was in the school for the blind, they had let him try out both a cane and a guide dog and he found that a guide dog just suited him better. He didn't care about the stares that came with it. For the most part, he couldn't really see them. Besides, cane or dog, he knew he would get stares. The program the school went through taught the dogs in Italian, which was a-okay with Nico, who was fluent in the language.

"Why now?" He asked Hazel, almost rhetorically.

"After six years, why now do Hades and Persephone want me to attend a normal school?" He grumbled.

Hazel let out a low chuckle. "They just want you to be happy," she told Nico, coming over to his side that wasn't occupied by Mrs. O'Leary. "Anyways, you'll love it here. It's a pretty nice school. And the people aren't too bad. I'll introduce you to my friends at lunch. You already know Frank though." Hazel said. Nico just grumbled in response, earning another small laugh out of the younger girl. "Come on, I'll take you to guidance office and they'll get you set up with classes." And with that, she started walking forward.

"Leary, _seguire_ Hazel," he command the dog, who immediately jumped into action and started following the copper-skinned girl.

That was one of the first commands they had taught her when Hazel came into their lives not too shortly after he had gotten Mrs. O'Leary.

Once they arrived at the guidance office, Hazel said her goodbyes to Nico, claiming to have to go to class cause the first bell was about to ring, but Nico was sure she just wanted to see her boyfriend, Frank, before classes started. Nico resisted the urge to roll his eyes and started to actually listen to what the lady behind the desk was telling him.

For the entirety before lunch, Nico was guided around the school, taken to where all his classes were, the gym, the cafeteria, the auditorium, the library, everywhere he would ever need to go in the large school. So when the lunch bell finally rang, Nico let out a sigh of relief, but also one of anxiety. Yes, he was free of the student that had been showing him around (who he also knew had been taking several glances at Mrs. O'Leary, but he was used to that.) but now he had to find his way back to the lunchroom.

" _Trova_ , Hazel," he told Mrs. O'Leary, ordering her to find his sister. Leary got up and started wandering around the crowded halls, Nico mumbling out half-hearted apologies as he bumped into people's shoulders. After about two minutes or so, Mrs. O'Leary stopped. Nico gently reached out and took hold of someone's shoulder. "Hazel?" He questioned, making sure it was her.

The person whose shoulder Nico had touched, turned around at the feeling. "Sorry, I'm not Hazel." The voice replied. Masculine voice. Definitely not Hazel.

"Oh. Sorry. My bad. Mrs. O'Leary stopped, so I thought she finally found her. Sorry again," he apologized to the boy.

It seemed, that for the first time, the boy across from him was noticing his guide dog. "Oh! I didn't realize you had a guide dog. She's pretty. What kind of dog is she?" The boy asked kindly. "German Shepherd," Nico replied. The boy's eyes widened. "Whoa, cool! I've never seen a black German Shepherd before!" He said in awe.

Nico brushed his comment aside. "Anyways. I was looking for my sister. And the lunchroom. Do you have to know anyone by the name of Hazel Levesque?" He asked the boy. The boy nodded, not realizing the boy in front of him was blind. "I know who she is, but we're not exactly friends," he said. "I'm Will. Will Solace. It's nice to meet you." Nico sucked in a gasp, his eyes unconsciously widening, drawing the other boy's attention as he held out his hand. He felt his heart start to beat rapidly. No, he couldn't afford to hope. Sure, they had the same name, but he was sure he wasn't the only Nico Di Angelo out there, either.

Will stood by awkwardly when Nico didn't take his hand to shake. Then it seemed to dawn on him. His eyes widened once more as he withdrew his hand, a blush starting to coat his cheeks. "Sorry, what's your name?" Will asked.

Nico shook his head, not wanting to answer. "It doesn't matter. I just want to find my sister, please." Will let out a small sigh. So much for trying to become friends with the dark-haired boy. "Alright, I'll take you to the cafeteria. She should be in there."

Nico nodded, tapping the boy's shoulder. "Leary, seguire," he told his guide dog as he gestured for Will to lead the way. The walk to the lunchroom was quiet at first before Will started the conversation up again. "You know, I used to have a friend when I was younger-" Nico snorted, not letting the boy continue, which Will ignored as he kept on talking, "-He was a lot like you, actually, now that I think about it. Although, he wasn't blind when I first met him. A year or so into our friendship though, he found out he had Retinitis Pigmentosa and was going blind." Nico widened his eyes at that, his heart starting to thump even faster. There was no way... "That's what I have..." Nico said quietly.

Will hummed in a questioning response, not exactly hearing what Nico had said in the loud hallways. "Sorry, I said that's what I have, Retinitis Pigmentosa," he said again with more confidence.

Will looked over at him. "Oh... That's interesting."

It was now or never, Nico decided. He didn't want to ask in front of Hazel and her friends in fear of making a fool of himself, but in front of some random students, he didn't exactly care. Nico reached forward and grabbed hold of what he hoped was Will's sleeve. Will stopped when Nico did and turned around to completely face him. Nico's face was completely still, not daring to let a single ounce of emotion in them as he struggled to get his question. "Will, what was your friend's name?" He asked quietly, hoping he was looking into the other boy's eyes.

Will's eyes widened slightly. "His name was Nico Di Angelo. But he moved away six years ago to go to a school for the blind..." He trailed off as he watched the shorter boy's eyes widen bigger than he had ever seen them.

Nico had gone pale, and he struggled to stop the smile that wanted to cover his entire face. "William Andrew Solace," he breathed out, not seeming to get anything but that out.

Will started to sputter at the sound of his full name. "H-how do you... How do you know my full..." He trailed off in realization.

"Nico," he breathed out. "Is that you?"

Nico was smiling and nodding before he could even recognize he was doing it. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Nico Di Angelo."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Su - out  
> Tacco - heel  
> Seguire - follow  
> Trova - find


	3. Chapter 2 - Catching Up

Without even thinking, Will lunged forward and flung his arms around the dark-haired boy. Usually, just the thought of physical contact that wasn't someone guiding him somewhere made him shutter, but when it came to Will, he let go of Mrs. O'Leary's harness handle to wrap his arms around his long lost friend, burying his face in Will's shoulder.

They got even more stares than when Nico was walking the halls with his guide dog, but he was used to it, and didn't let it bother him. It wasn't until someone leaned in towards them and barked out, "Fags," did Nico break away from Will, his face going red as he scrambled for a hold on Mrs. O'Leary's harness.

Will was blushing just as red as Nico, but unbeknownst to the dark-haired boy, Will was sending a hard glare towards the boy that had barked at them for a few seconds before looking back towards Nico. "I can't believe it's really you," the blonde boy breathed out. "You're..." Will couldn't get the words out. "Oh, Nico..."

Nico was just as at a loss for words as his blonde companion. "I'm sorry!" "I'm sorry!" The two blurted out at the same time, drawing a small smile out of both of them. "You can go first," Nico told Will. Will reached out to hold the hand that wasn't latched to his guide dog's handle and gently squeezed it. They had always been, for lack of a better word, quite handsy with each other as children and it didn't seem to be any different now than it was back then.

"I'm sorry," Will apologized again. "I'm sorry for not keeping in touch with you." Nico shook his head and squeezed Will's hand back. "No, I'm sorry. It's my fault. I-" Nico's voice started to break at the words that were forming in the back of his throat. "I was going through a hard time. Only three months after we moved, my mom and Bianca..." Nico squeezed his eyes shut to try and get rid of the tears pooling in the corners of his eyes. "They were in an accident and both sustained fatal injuries. I feel into a bad spout of depression. When we moved, when I was without you, I was lonely. Not alone, but lonely. No one there was anything like you. Sure, I made friends, but they weren't you. Then I lost _them_ and... And then I _was_ alone. I was lonely _and_ alone. My dad shut everyone out. It was as if he lost me along with them."

Will squeezed his hand once more, tears filling his own eyes. He hadn't been particularly close to Bianca or his mother, but he could still remember how kind they had been to them. How much of an older sister Bianca had acted like towards him whenever he was at their house. He reached up with this free hand to wipe the tears off the other boy's face, making his blush burn brighter.

"It's okay. You have nothing to be sorry for. Regardless, you can tell me about everything later, where it's more private, okay?" Nico nodded. "Now, you were saying you were trying to find someone named Hazel? I thought you only had one sister?" He questioned, his voice light.

Nico nodded, doing his best not to wince at Will's use of the past tense when he mentioned Bianca. "Yeah, Hazel. She's my half-sister who we didn't really find out about until my dad got remarried. You'll love her," he said, giving Will a small, soft, smile. "If you take us to the lunchroom, you can meet her," he said with a smirk.

Will let out a chuckle. "Alright, smartass. Just follow me." Will reached out to tap Nico's shoulder to gesture that he was starting to move. Nico gave Mrs. O'Leary her follow command again as they started off.

They had just reached the cafeteria doors when a loud "Nico!" Was heard as someone came barreling towards them. Hazel reached out gently pat Nico's shoulder to make him aware of her presence. "You were taking so long to show up that I was starting to get worried. I thought you might've gotten lost," she said with a half-worried, half-relieved smile. Nico reached out to grasp her shoulder and gently squeezed it. "I'm alright, Hazel." He took his hand off her shoulder to reach over to where he though he remembered Will being, only to grab empty air. His cheeks started to turn red with embarrassment when Will reached out and placed Nico's hand on his shoulder. Nico shot him an appreciative smile before looking back over to where Hazel was, not quite looking at her.

"I was just... Catching up with an old friend." Hazel's eyes widened slowly.

"You guys know each other?" She asked curiously.

Nico and Will nodded simultaneously. "Yes," Nico responded. "We used to live down the street from each other before... Before Mom and Bianca died. Before I went blind." Nico swallowed the hard lump that had formed in his throat. Even years later it was still hard for him to talk about, even though he had gotten over both events.

Hazel's eyes filled with understanding as she looked over at Will. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Hazel, Nico's sister." Will nodded in greeting. "Will. Will Solace. I think we share a couple of classes together." Hazel nodded. "I thought I recognized you." Hazel turned back to her brother. "Anyways, Nico, come on, I want you to come say hi to Frank and the others." Nico looked over at Will. "Do you want to come?" He asked quietly. Will shook his head before remembering that Nico couldn't see him. Wow, six years apart and he was already forgetting how to act around his blind friend.

"Sorry, I would love to, but..." "But you have other friends to sit with." Nico finished for him. Will nodded guiltily. "Yeah... Something like that." Nico squeezed his shoulder. "It's alright, really. Here," he reached into his pocket and brought out his phone, handing it to Hazel to unlock and open his contacts list. "Give me your number, maybe we can get together one of these days and catch up a bit more." Will nodded, taking the phone from Hazel and adding his contact in. They hadn't been old enough to have cell phones back when they last saw each other, so he was grateful for the method of contact Nico had given him. He sent himself a text so that he would have Nico's number on his phone before placing it back in Nico's open hand, who in turn pocketed the cellular device.

"I guess I'll text you later then," Nico told Will, who in turn nodded and said, "I'll see you later," as he turned around and left to go sit with his friends, who he hadn't realized had been staring at him from inside the lunchroom.

When he sat down next to them, they turned their gaze to him, the same question running through all their eyes. Will glanced up but was unable to hold eye contact with any of them. "What?" He asked. They continued to gape at him until Lou Ellen spoke up. "Dude! Who's that?!" She asked him with a glint in her eyes. "Who?" He asked, but he knew it was pointless as his gazed traveled over to where Nico and Hazel had sat down with a group of people.

Lou reached over to lightly punch the tall, blonde boy. "The hot, new, _blind_ guy!" She replied. Will blushed. "Oh, him? That's just Nico. Hazel's brother." He told them as nonchalantly as he could, which, wasn't much.

Cecil, who was seated next to him, nudged Will with his shoulder. "He didn't seem so new to you, though. We saw how touchy-touchy you two were," he told his friend with a grin, making Will blush even more. "We-we were childhood friends, that's all. I haven't seen him in six years though, so this is the first time we've met since we were ten." He informed them, stuffing a corner of his sandwich in his mouth.

They all looked to stare at him again. "Okay, okay!" He gave in. "Maybe he is more attractive now than he was six years ago!" He whined, hanging his head. "But like I said," he began more quietly, "we haven't seen each other in six years. Things are different now. Besides, I'd like to get to know him again before I even think about crushing on him. Yes, he's attractive, but that doesn't mean anything. He doesn't even know I'm gay." He told them pointedly, signaling the end of the discussion.

Nico, who had been introduced to all of Hazel's friends and reintroduced to her boyfriend, Frank, sat down next to Hazel quietly. " _Sotto_ ," he told Mrs. O'Leary, having her lay under the table. One of Hazel's friends, Piper he thinks she said her name was, leaned forward upon hearing the foreign language. "What language is that?" She asked kindly. Nico turned his to where he was hearing her voice. "Italian." He responded. "Oh cool! Are you fluent in it? Or is it just for your guide dog?" She asked innocently. "I'm fluent in it. I lived in Italy the first couple years of my life and my parents taught me how to speak the language as I grew up." He responded once more.

They all continued chatting with Nico picking at his lunch until the bell signaling the end of lunch rang. Nico heard Hazel say goodbye to her friends before helping guide him to his next class.

Later on in the day when Nico had finally settled himself and Mrs. O'Leary into Hazel's car, he finally drew out his phone. He hadn't seen Will for the rest of the day and he was anxious to see him again. "Text Will, "Hey, comma, are you free tonight, question mark? Or tomorrow afternoon, question mark?" He spoke into his phone. He didn't care that Hazel could hear everything he was saying. He was so used to having very little privacy at this point that he just didn't care. This drew a smirk on Hazel's face. "Asking him out only a couple hours after seeing him again for the first time in six years? Bold," she told him with a snicker.

He reached over and lightly punched her shoulder. "Shut up. I'm not asking him out. He's my best friend," he told her in response.

Then he flinched as he realized what he had just said. "Sorry, he _was_ my best friend."

Nico felt Hazel reach out and pat his shoulder, but before she could say anything, Nico's phone chimed. "Message from Will," it rang out. "Read text from Will." Nico told his phone.

"Sure! I'm free tonight if you are. Do you have a place in mind that you wanted to meet? If not, you can always come over to my house." Chirped his phone in response. "Text Will, "Your house sounds great, period. I'm excited to see your parents again,"" he responded in turn.

A couple minutes later, another ding rang out along with a "Message from Will." "Read text from Will," Nico told his phone. A couple seconds later, Nico was greeted with, "Sounds good! They're excited to see you again too! See you later! : )" Nico clicked his phone off after that and stuffed it back in his pocket.

Nico took a deep breath in, and let a deep breath out. He was going to see Will again tonight. And Mrs & Mr. Solace, who practically treated him like their own when they were kids. He couldn't be more excited.

Seeing the small smile on Nico's face from across the car, Hazel couldn't but smile too. It had been a long time since she had seen Nico smile so genuinely. It was a smile she had only seen a couple times when he would talk about his mom and Bianca. She was glad that it was starting to make a reappearance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italian Translations:  
> Sotto - under


	4. Chapter 3 - Childhood Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight Trigger Warning: implied self-harm and depression

Once they had agreed on a time, Nico went around his room trying to make himself look a bit more presentable. After all, he was going to be seeing his childhood best friend's parents again after six years and he wanted to make a good impression. Once he got the okay from Hazel that he looked fine and "Don't worry, they're not going to notice mustard stain on your collar!" Which had only made him start to freak out again until Hazel reassured him that it was just a joke. "Besides," she began, "you said you've known them since before you went blind? They must've seen you at quite a lot of your low points then." To which Nico nodded. "Then they won't care what you look like, they'll just be excited to see you again. Especially Will." She said with a wink, making a light blush brush his cheeks.

When it came around time to leave, Nico made sure to check over everything with Hazel about what Mrs. O'Leary had on. He verified that she did in fact have her vest, harness, and handle on, and decided that he wouldn't put booties on her this time. He was just going to Will's house, and he knew Will wouldn't keep things lying around on the floor that Mrs. O'Leary could possibly step on and hurt herself. Ever since they were kids Will had kept his room nice and tidy, the exact opposite of Nico's room.

Soon enough, he, Hazel, and Mrs. O'Leary were in the car on their way to Will's house. Nico had sent him a message before they had left to let him know they were on their way.

Once they had pulled into the driveway, Nico realized that he didn't live all that far away from where he lived himself. That brought a small smile to his face.

Once the car came to a stop, Nico hopped out of the car before letting Mrs. O'Leary out. "Hey, do you want me to come in with you?" Hazel called out to him. He shook his head as he headed towards the front door. "No thanks. You can go home. I'll let you know when you can pick me up." "Alright. Have fun!" He heard her call out as she started the car back up and drove off.

Taking a deep breath, Nico approached the front door and reached his hands out. Once he came in contact with the door, he rapped his knuckles against it. He had always found that knocking was easier than trying to find the doorbell.

Almost as if he had been waiting by the door for him to show up, Will opened the door only split seconds later, a large smile on his face. "Hey!" He said in greeting.

Nico smiled. "Hey ," he replied. Will stepped back and opened the door further. "Come in, come in."

" _Inoltrare,_ " he told Mrs. O'Leary, who complied and started forward, bringing Nico into the house.

No sooner than when he was in the house was he engulfed in arms. Freezing, Nico tensed. He hadn't expected to be ambushed like that, and after what he had been through, he didn't like it. "Mom! You're scaring him, let him go!" Will exclaimed from behind him.

The arms surrounding him let him go. "I'm so sorry honey, I didn't mean to scare you. I'm just so happy to see you again! You've gotten so handsome," she told him kindly.

Nico weakly smiled. "It's alright. You didn't scare me, I just wasn't expecting it... Ya know, not being able to see and all... It just startled me. That's all," he told them.

Mrs. Solace nodded. "I heard from Will you got a service dog, this must be her," she mentioned. Nico nodded. "Yeah, this is Mrs. O'Leary. We've been together for about a year or so now." He informed them. "Oh wow," Will spoke up. "I didn't know you've only had her a year. If I didn't know you better, I would've thought you'd been together for forever."

Nico nodded again. "Yeah. I had been using a cane for the most part, but I had been on the list for a guide dog for a few years until they finally found me a partner."

Mrs. Solace continued to ask him about Mrs. O'Leary until Will cleared his throat. "Oh, right! Come on sweetheart, Will will show you to the living room. Make yourselves at home." Nico nodded and at Will's touch, let the boy guide him to the living room, until he let him know they were at the couch.

Mrs. Solace soon joined them with a platter of cookie. "Nico, honey, there's a plate of chocolate chip cookies in front of you if you'd like to help yourself to some." Nico smiled. "Thanks, Mrs. Solace."

"Please, call me Naomi, sweetheart. It may have been a while since we've seen you, but you're still like a son to me." Nico gave her a small smile. "So, how are your mother and Bianca? I haven't seem them in ages." Nico stiffened. Will must not have told her about their passing. It made sense, he guessed. It wasn't his place to tell her.

"They..." He felt Will reach out and squeeze his hand, to which Nico squeezed back, appreciative of the gesture. "They're dead. They died only about three months after we moved. In a car accident." He could practically feel Naomi's heart break. "Oh, I'm so sorry, sweetie. My condolences." She told him, sadness leeching her voice. "It's okay. I don't think I'll ever get over it, but I'm doing a lot better now."

Naomi only nodded before standing up. "I'll leave you two boys to catch up. I've got some cleaning to do." Will thanked his mother before turning back to Nico. "You sure you're okay?" Nico nodded, unconsciously moving to grab his wrist with his hand.

The movement didn't go unnoticed by Will, but the blonde-haired boy didn't bring it up. "So," Nico started. "Where's your dad? I thought he would be here too."

Will released Nico's hand after one last squeeze. "Oh, he's at work. He won't be home till late tonight."

"Gotcha." Nico responded.

There were a few moments of awkward silence before Will spoke up. "Do you wanna go up to my room?" Nico shrugged. "Sure. Is it alright if Mrs. O'Leary stays down here?" Will nodded. "Of course. She'll get lots of attention from my mom." He replied with a chuckle.

Nico felt the couch lighten up as Will stood up. When he felt Will's hand tap his, he grabbed onto his hand, letting the taller boy help pull him up.

Both boys were silent as Will carefully guided Nico up the stairs and into Will's room. Will led him over to his bed before he left to go shut his door and turn his room light on.

"Hey, Will?" Nico asked quietly. If it hadn't already been silent his room, Will wasn't sure he would've heard it. "Yeah?" Will asked. Nico felt the bed dip beneath him as Will sat down.

"What do I look like?" Nico asked, holding his breath as he awaited Will's answer.

Will took his time in answering as he looked over Nico. He had changed a lot since they were 10 years old, but at the same time, he hadn't changed at all.

"Well," Will started.

"Your hair is the darkest brown I've ever seen. Just like your mom's was back when we first met. It's gotten a lot longer than it was six years ago too, brushing just past your shoulders." Will reached up to run his fingers against Nico's feathery-soft hair, making Nico give off the slightest of shivers.

"You're just a slim as I remember you, if not more. You really need to put some more muscle on you, death boy," Will said with a chuckle, using the nickname he had given the dark-haired boy when they were only ten years old.

Hearing the old nickname made Nico smile before gesturing for Will to continue.

Will swallowed the lump that had been growing in his throat before continuing on. "You have prominent cheek bones. Probably from how skinny you are. You have a small, button-like nose, and your lips are thin, but plump, if that makes sense. But your eyes..." Will took in another deep breath. "They're practically identical to when you were a kid, but at the same time, they're so different."

"What do you mean?" Nico asked softly.

"They're the same, deep brown they've always been. Same shape as well. But they're so... Sad." Will's voice dropped in volume at that. "Like they've seen so much and been through so much. To anyone that didn't know you, I suspect that they wouldn't really be able to see it. But I see it. Even though I wasn't there for a lot of it, I still felt your pain." Will dropped his hand from where it rested on Nico's shoulder and trailed it down to intertwine his fingers with Nico's, just like they used to do as kids.

"What about you?" Nico whispered after a few moments of silence.

"What about me?" Will asked softly.

"What do _you_ look like now?" Will squeezed his hand. "Do you want to feel my face? I know it's not something a lot of blind people typically do, but... The offers there."

Nico was quiet for a second before nodding. "I do." If he concentrated enough, Nico could still imagine what Will's face looked like as kids. He had spent the three years they spent together memorizing his face. He wanted to know if it felt the same way he remembered.

Will took Nico's other hand in his and placed his hands on his face. "I placed your hands on my cheeks," came his soft reply.

Nico's hands began to wander slowly up and down his face, feeling every crevice with soft, feather-like touches. His fingertips traced the shape of his nose, and felt his eyelashes against his fingers as Will's eyes fluttered shut when Nico started tracing lightly around his eyes. His hands soon found their way to Will's lips.

Nico's hands dropped to his lap as he smirked. "You've gotten handsome, William."

Will blushed. "I-I don't know what you're talking about." He sputtered at the compliment. He wasn't exactly wrong. Will had gotten quite attractive, at least, in the eyes of his mother and female classmates. He's even caught a few of his male classmates admiring him.

"Sure you don't, Solace." Will drew in a deep breath. "Whatever, Di Angelo."

After a moment of silence, Nico spoke up once more. "Thanks." He said quietly. "It's no problem," came Will's reply.

"Hey, Will?"

"Yeah?"

"What time is it?" Nico asked.

Will checked his phone. "It's about 9:30pm. Do you need to go?"

Nico nodded. "Yeah. Let me text Hazel and let her know to pick me up. We only live a couple minutes away."

About ten or so minutes later, Nico and Will were back downstairs, Nico's grip on Mrs. O'Leary's harness as he started to walk out the door. Before he walked out, he stopped to look back at Will. "Hey, Will? It was nice catching up with you. I'll see you at school, okay?"

"Yeah, you too. I'll see you tomorrow, Death Boy!" Will called out.

Nico ignored the nickname and continued walking to Hazel's car. Soon enough, they were on the road back home.

Nico couldn't wait to see Will the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italian Translations:  
> Inoltrare - forward
> 
> Let me know if there's something you'd like to see happen in this story! Or if there's any certain interactions you'd like to see! I want ya'lls feedback!


	5. Chapter 4 - Of Bullies & Tears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: derogatory words

The next morning went by in a blur. Nothing all that eventful went on at school other than the fact that Nico realized that he and Will shared a history class together, which had made both boys smile.

It wasn't until lunch that everything changed.

Nico had been relatively quiet when he wasn't around his friends and he quite blatantly refused to go into depth about his condition with anyone. He was used to getting asked if people could pet Mrs. O'Leary, and he always said "No, she's working," earning him a hard glare that he couldn't see from whomever had asked. Sometimes they would try and pet her anyway, which would disturb whatever Nico had been doing.

This was nothing even close to that.

If anything, it was closer to one of his fears than anything else.

Something he hadn't really experienced before when he had been going to a school _specifically_ for the blind.

Nico had been on his way to the lunchroom. He was running a couple minutes late as he had stayed behind a couple minutes in his last class to talk to his teacher. Mostly about accommodations. Little did he know, there was a group of four guys lined up outside the classroom, just waiting for him to leave the room.

Five minutes past the bell was when Nico finally left for lunch. At first everything was peaceful. The halls weren't so crowded with everyone at lunch, and he was oblivious to the guys following a few paces behind him. If he hadn't been too busy thinking about talking to Hazel, and possibly Will, then maybe he would've noticed the footsteps behind him.

Once they were further away from the classroom and out of sight from the teachers was when Mrs. O'Leary stopped, stopping Nico in his tracts. Nico was confused. _Why did she stop?_ " _Inoltrare,_ Leary." He told her, hoping she would begin moving again. When she continued to stay still, Nico grew increasingly worried.

Reaching out in front of him with his hand, he had been hoping to find empty air, but was sorely mistaken when his hand came in contact with someone's chest. A guy from the feel of it. Nico ripped his hand back when he felt a ripple of laughter go through the guys chest and out his mouth.

When Nico moved to step back and try and maneuver around the guy, he found that he couldn't. There were people on all sides of him. His breath hitched. He never really had to worry about having space thanks to Mrs. O'Leary, but now, finding himself surrounded with no route of escape, made him start to feel claustrophobic.

"Aww, look at the little blind boy. Can't go anywhere without his little sister and her boy toy." The boy in front of him stated with a smirk that was obvious even to Nico. The words rang in his ears. He had expected them to go after him, but he hadn't expected them to insult his sister as well. If he wasn't starting to panic as much as he was, he probably would've been seething with anger. It was as the words rang in his ears did he realize he recognized the voice speaking to him.

It was the same guy that had called him and Will "fags" the day prior. Of course.

"Oh! Nor do you seem incapable of going anywhere without lover boy!" The boy exclaimed nefariously. "We saw you and that faggot _embracing_ yesterday. Disgusting," he spat.

Nico was so close, he could feel the spit hit his face. When he reached his hand up to wipe it off, he felt a strong grip wrap around his wrist.

"I think we should show you just exactly how much you don't belong here. How you don't belong anywhere."

It was then that he felt the handle of Mrs. O'Leary's harness get ripped out of his hand. His eyes widened in panic as he scrambled to try and reclaim a hold on it. He felt Mrs. O'Leary back into his leg and she tried to get away from her captor.

While the guy on the left held his arm back from swinging, and the guy on his right held on to Mrs. O'Leary, doing what he could to drag her away from her handler, the guy behind him grabbed hold of his bag, tearing it open. Nico heard all of his books fall to the floor, along with his cane that he carried with him case he didn't have Mrs. O'Leary with him for whatever reason.

Just as one of the boys was about to pick up the cane, most likely to hit him with it, a voice called out from somewhere behind Nico. "Hey!" It yelled out. It was a masculine voice. "Hey, leave him alone!" One of the boys holding Nico snarled. "Stay out of it Zhang." So it was Frank that had come to his rescue. "No chance. Leave. Now. Before I get a teacher involved." That alone was enough to get the boys the let Nico go and scramble away. They may have wanted to beat Nico up, but they didn't want to risk suspension or expulsion.

As he felt the hands on him release, Nico sank to the ground as Frank's footsteps drew nearer.

Nico flinched when he felt Mrs. O'Leary's tongue on his face, licking away the tears he hadn't known had escaped his eyes in his panic. "Nico?" He heard Frank call, but it wasn't until Frank had placed a bag in his hands that he started to calm down. "Here. I picked all your stuff up and put it back in your bag. Your cane included." Frank told him softly. Nico nodded, standing up as he swung the bag onto his back. "Can you hand me Mrs. O'Leary?" Nico asked quietly. "Of course," came Frank's response. It wasn't long after that he felt his guide dog's handle being pressed into his right hand.

"Do you want to go to the cafeteria? Hazel's been looking for you."

Nico shook his head. "No, I can't. There's too many people there." He said quietly. A couple moments of silence later, Nico continued. "Can you take me to the nurse's office and then get Hazel? And Will? Please?" The last word hardly escaped his lips and he wasn't even sure if Frank had heard him or not.

"Yeah... Yeah, of course. This way," Frank told the dark-haired boy, tapping his left shoulder.

A few minutes later, Nico and found himself sitting inside the nurse's office, sitting in one of the secluded corners, Mrs. O'Leary laying at his feet. He had refused to tell the nurse what had happened, too embarrassed about not being able to do anything about what had happened. So, Frank filled her in on what had happened. "I recognized Castellan and Nakamura, but not the other two." He heard him say. Nico didn't care who they were. All he knew was that he never wanted to see them again.

Frank had come up to him after his talk with the nurse, Mrs. Jackson, and told him he was going to get his sister and friend now. Nico had nodded numbly.

He should be used to this by now. He should be used to getting picked on for his blindness. While it had never explicitly happened in school before, that he could recall, he had still experienced it out in public.

It wasn't until moments later that he realized why it felt so different.

All the times before, he had had Bianca, or his mom, to comfort him. To tell him to ignore them. He didn't have that pleasure now. Another tear slipped down his cheek as he remembered how Bianca would take his hand and draw shapes and words into his skin with her fingers to distract him.

Something, he realized now, that she had learned from Will.

Back right before they had first moved, Will had told her it was something that he found helped calm Nico down when they were in public and he would have a breakdown after not seeing something or someone pointed at his cane. Bianca had picked it up after they had moved. It had helped remind him of Will, especially when he was missing him after a long, hard day.

At that moment was when Frank returned with Will and Hazel in tow. "Oh _Nico,_ " he heard Hazel whisper as she approached him, sitting down next to him, taking his hand in hers and squeezing. It wasn't until a moment later that Nico acknowledged Will's presence. "Will," he whimpered softly, his voice breaking. Will surged forward, plopping down in the seat on the other side of Nico.

Almost as if they were falling back into their childhood once again, Will grabbed hold of the hand that wasn't intertwined with Hazel's, seeming to know exactly what he needed.

Will's heart had broken at the sight of Nico when he had come it, but looking into the boy's shattered eyes, he knew that he wasn't just "overwhelmed" as Frank had told them on their way there, refusing to tell them anything else as it wasn't his place. Something else was going on in Nico's mind, and Will could probably take a pretty good guess as to what it was. However, he kept his concerns away, and instead let his fingers do all the talking as they traced little pictures and shapes into Nico's palm. As they wrote little words of encouragement, all seeming to calm Nico down by the minute.

Both Hazel and Will seemed to know that he wasn't in a place to talk about what had happened and Nico was grateful that they respected that.

What felt like hours later, although it was probably only about ten minutes or so, Nico was calm enough to slouch back against his chair. He let his hand drop from Hazel's to pet Mrs. O'Leary who had sat up from where she lay a couple minutes ago, the texture of her fur calming him even further, especially just knowing that she was there.

"I'm okay." He finally spoke, his voice hoarser than he expected it to be.

"Are you sure?" Came Hazel's soft, worried voice. Nico nodded. "I'm okay, Haz. Promise. I was just... Overwhelmed." Hazel let her eyes wander Nico's face before conceding. "Alright. If you say so." Nico nodded once more. "Yeah. I can explain everything further later, okay?"

Hazel agreed and shared a look with Will before squeezing Nico's shoulder and standing up, leaving Nico alone with Will.

After a few moments, Will spoke up. "Hey, Nico?" Nico froze. He really didn't want to talk about what had happened. Not yet.

"Do you wanna come home with me? Like, to hang out? I already spoke to Hazel about it and she said she'd tell your dad if you decided to come."

Nico relaxed and let out the breath he had been holding. He nodded. "Sure, sure... That sounds great." Nico throw the blonde a small smile. "Hey Will?"

Will squeezed his hand.

"Thank you. I-" Nico's voice broke. "You knew exactly what it was I needed and I couldn't be more grateful for that."

Will smiled.

"Of course. It may have been six years, but I still remember everything we had come up with as kids." Will took a deep breath. "Nico, I know it's been a while, and I know we've had some talks like this already yesterday, but I'm your friend. I never stopped being your friend. I thought about you all the time while you were away. Anything you need, you can let me know." Will told him with a soft smile.

Nico squeezed Will's hand reassuringly. "I thought about you too. Bianca used to do all the things you would do with me, _for_ me, and it would help distract me from how much I missed you. I really do appreciate you, Will." Nico concluded, a smile now on his face.

"Alright, now," Will started, "do you want to go back to class? Or would you rather stay in here for the rest of the day? I know Mrs. Jackson wouldn't mind." He asked.

Nico thought for a moment. "I... I think I'll stay in here. Calm down some more. Meet me after school?"

Will nodded. "Of course. I'm going to go ahead and get to class now. See you later, Nico."

"See you later, Will."

And with that, Will walked out.


	6. Chapter 5 - City Walks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basically just a little filler

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for this chapter. I know it's not as well-written as the others. I kinda struggled a bit writing this one and just coming up with ideas in general. I promise this is going somewhere, I just needed a little break between chapters, and this is that. So yeah, apologies

The next day was Saturday, which Nico was grateful for. He didn't think he could face going to school so soon after... Everything. He wasn't as upset about it all now, but he knew he needed a break, as well as Mrs. O'Leary. Nico would be alright as long as the situation didn't give his guide dog fear phase. While she had been "fully" trained for two years before getting matched with Nico, he didn't want anything to set her back or make her unable to work. She was his eyes, and if he didn't have her, he didn't know what he would do. Sure, he had his cane, and his friends that he knew would help him if he asked for it, but there was just something different about having Mrs. O'Leary. Losing her would be like losing his mobility.

After he had gone to Will's house, they had gone up to his room and he had told Will everything. To say Will had been angry would be an understatement. He was furious. Nico had never seen him that angry before. Will had never been a violent person, and the fact that Will had gotten so angry scared Nico a bit, not that he would ever admit it.

"Will," he had told him, placing his hand on his shoulder. "Calm down. I'm alright, okay? Frank got there before things got too bad. I'm fine, and that's what matters, correct?"

Will took a deep breath before replying. "Yeah... Yeah, I guess so. But that doesn't mean that what they did was okay."

Nico nodded. "I know, Will. But please, just let it go. For me, okay?" And that's what had gotten Will to finally drop the subject.

Frank had texted Nico while he was at Will's to ask if he could tell Hazel, who had been worrying about Nico every since. Nico had told Frank he could and had gotten an extremely tight hug when he returned hug, though she didn't mention what had happened. Probably because Frank told her not to, and Nico was grateful for that.

That morning, Nico had woken up to a text from Will, who had invited him to hang around town with him. Nico had agreed, his heart fluttering, _why was his heart fluttering? This is Will, not someone he was going out on a date with. Besides, he's Nico Di Angelo, and his heart definitely does not flutter._

Once he had finished his breakfast and gotten ready for his day with Will, he proceeded to say bye to Hazel when he heard Will pull up the driveway. As he was walking out to the door, he heard Hazel call out, "Have fun on your date!" with a wide grin on her face. He blushed. "It's not a date, Hazel. You know that. It's just... Will." He told her, although he couldn't ignore how his heart had fluttered again at the mention of it being a date.

He pushed the feeling aside as he walked out the door.

Will waved from where he had put his window down in his car, to Hazel, as Nico made his way over to Will's car. "Take care of my brother for me!" She called to the blonde-haired male with a wink. Will chuckled. "Will do!" He promised as Nico mumbled under his breath about not needing anyone to take care of him, and how he could take care of himself as he managed to get Mrs. O'Leary into the backseat before inserting himself in the passenger side seat next to Will.

"Ignore her," Nico muttered as they pulled out of the driveway.

Will chuckled. "She's just looking out for you."

Nico sighed. "Yeah yeah, I know, and I love her for that, but I can look out for myself. Well, theoretically speaking, I can."

"Anyways, you still haven't told me where we're going other than 'into the city,'" he told his blonde friend with finger quotes.

"Just around the city, like I said." Will replied as he turned on his blinker and switched lanes. "I didn't have anywhere specific in mind. Just wanted to show you around the city, possibly stop for lunch if we get hungry, ya know, that kind of thing."

Nico just shrugged. "Whatever you say, Solace."

Twenty minutes later, they were pulling into a space in a parking garage. "There's a curb on your side, so make sure to be careful getting out," Will mentioned as he opened his door.

Nico nodded. "Thanks." He opened his door and made sure to get out with care, making sure his footing was even before fetching Mrs. O'Leary.

Nico and Will walked side by side, with Will on one side of Nico, and Mrs. O'Leary on the other. "Sorry I couldn't get any closer spots, this was the best place I could find." Will apologized. "It's fine," Nico replied. "I don't mind walking."

And walk they did.

They strolled around city, going in a bunch of different stores with only a couple minor access issues, all resolved by Nico informing whatever attendant had stopped them by letting them know he was blind, and by pulling out the ADA service dog laws card he kept on his being when going out.

At one point, Nico exited a store with a glass figurine that he had found for Hazel. After Will had described it for him, he just knew he had to get it for her.

After it felt like they had entered every store they could possibly be interested in, Will suggested lunch. Nico agreed, his stomach rumbling in acknowledgement, earning a low chuckle out of the blonde boy.

Now they just had to figure out _where_ to eat.

"Well, there's a cafe across the street, a sub place around the corner," Will droned, listing the possibilities. They had stopped to sit on a bench while they decided where they wanted to eat.

"Oh!" Will exclaimed, eyes bright. "I spy, with my little eye, a small little Italian place, right down the street." He said with a smile.

Nico's stomach growled at that. The dark-haired boy chuckled. "That seems to be it then," he said, patting his stomach. It had been a long time since he had had authentic Italian food. He couldn't remember having it at all since Bianca and his mom had died.

Nico shook his head to rid himself of the dark thoughts beginning to plague his mind. He couldn't think of that right now. He was out with Will, and he was having fun, and he wasn't going to let anything ruin that.

"Sounds good to me!" Came Will's reply. He stood up before extending a hand down to Nico. He knew he didn't need it, the extra hand up, but he wanted to. As a friendly gesture, so he was grateful when Nico took it, who let go once he was up and had a hand on Mrs. O'Leary's harness.

A couple minutes later, they were walking inside, a little bell dinging the moment they opened the door. They were quickly seated, having, thankfully, zero access issues with Mrs. O'Leary, who fit herself under the table at Nico's feet.

When a waitress came over to introduce themselves, Nico asked if they had any menus in Braille. When he was told, "No, sorry. We only have these." Nico had shrugged it off and ordered a water, with Will ordering an iced tea.

"Do you want me to read things off to you?" Will asked his friend. Nico raised an eyebrow. "If you think you can pronounce what's on the menu, William, then sure."

Will, not having actually opened his menu yet, blanched when he saw the names. "I-I..." Nico smirked. "That's what I thought. Do you see something called Arancini on there?" He asked, his Italian accent more prominent than normal.

Will felt a blush creek up his neck. _Wait, why am I blushing? It's just Nico. I can't help that his Italian accent is cute._ Will thought. Then he blushed again. He thought Nico's accent was cute? Will gently shook his head of the thoughts as he went to search for the dish Nico had mentioned. Upon finding it, Will nodded. "Yeah, it's on here."

"Great. I'll have that then." Nico replied.

It wasn't long before their waitress returned with their drinks and began taking their orders. Will had decided on something simple (and something he could pronounce), and stuck with chicken parmesan.

Nico had been quiet after ordering, which wasn't unusual, but it felt... Different. Reaching across the table, Will gently tapped his friend's hand. "Hey, you okay?"

Nico, who had gotten lost in his thoughts again, realized Will had been talking to him. "Hmm? Oh, yeah. I'm fine. It's just... I haven't had anything like this since the accident. That's all. But really, I'm okay. Just reminiscing. Promise." Nico replied, turning his hand over to lace his fingers with Will's and squeeze.

That seemed to reassure Will, who had squeezed back before releasing his hand.

It took almost fifteen minutes of conversing for their food to arrive, steaming hot.

Their waitress placed the plates in front of them. "Be careful, the plates are hot." She warned them as she placed down silverware for them to use.

Once the waitress left, Nico reached out to where he had placed his silverware, feeling the tips to find a fork and knife to cut into his food. After cutting a piece off, he speared it with his fork and brought it to his mouth. He let out a soft groan at the flavor. It was immaculate.

Will let out a low chuckle. It was interesting seeing Nico so intrigued with something. So in _love_ with something that wasn't his sister or Mrs. O'Leary.

"Is it good?" Will teased with a knowing smile before digging into his own meal.

Nico nodded. "Amazing..." He trailed off, shaking his head. "It's amazing." Is all he said.

The rest of the meal went by pretty quietly as the two boys enjoyed their food.

Too stuffed for dessert afterwards, Will paid the bill, much to Nico's protest, who made it very clear that he could pay for his own meals. Will just brushed it off and told him that it was just to make up for the time they were apart and all the meals they could've had back then.

It wasn't long before they were climbing back into the car and they were heading back to Nico's.


End file.
